HOUSE OF M. LUCRETIUS - POMPEII

This house is attributed to M. Lucretius because his name appears as addressee on a letter depicted, with a kit for writing letters, in a wall painting in a room near the garden. He was an important figure who held the office of decurion in the city and was a priest of Mars. This patrician house had fine wall paintings, now mostly in the Archaeological Museum in Naples. In the atrium there are still some frescoes in IV style with imaginary architectures, and in the tablinum the Triumphs of Bacchus with a satyr and a Victory. There must also have been various panel paintings in the tablinum which unfortunately have been lost. The atrium lacks a central impluvium and it is therefore to be supposed that it was not covered with the customary shed roofs that sloped down towards the interior, but was covered by a roof that completely covered the house with a watershed towards the exterior (atrio testudinato). The lararium is in the atrium and the large tablinum opens in the back wall, beyond which a lovely garden stretches out in scenic perspective on a higher level. With herms and statues of satyr, cupids and various animals set among the beds, at the back was a fountain with mosaic decoration, where the water poured out of a goatskin held by a marble silenus.

 

Why do not you arrange with us an amazing day in the Gulf of Naples - a private tour (just for you) with a comfortable limousine or minivan with driver and an English-speaking tour guide? We have organized for you a great guided tour to Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento-Amalfi Coast (Positano). Contact us by e-mail info@pompeii.org.uk for further info.

On the eastern side of the Foro, there’s a majestic and elegant building with a marble frieze above the portal. Two inscriptions attribute this building to Eumachia, a priestess of Venus and owner of a flourishing business operating in the wool industry, which she had inherited from her husband. Indeed this is thought to be the seat of the Corporation of wool and cloth manufacturers, although another interpretation claim that the building was dedicated by the priestess to the Gens Iulia and was used for cult worship of the Emperor Augustus through the statues of his ancestor. The building itself dates from the Tiberian age and looks onto the Forum from a façade with tw ... continue

(Apic. 9, 10, 5) Ingredients:

• Tuna fish fillets
• 3 tbsp strong vinegar
• 9 tbsp olive oil
• 4 finely chopped shallots
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp lovage seeds
• 25 g fresh mint

Instructions:
-------------
Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients into a jar and shake well to blend them together. Brush your tuna fillets with oil, pepper and salt, then grill them on one side over a hot barbecue. Turn them and brush the roasted side with the vinaigrette. Repeat. The tuna flesh should be pink inside so don't let it overcook. Serve ... continue

Love was a common topic of conversation in Pompeii. Feelings, passions, poetic love, sex, homosexuality, prostitution and so forth were all part of daily life and not a source of prejudice. The concept of “obscenity” seems to have been unknown. Love and sex were considered earthly practices of a man’s life that were encouraged by the benevolence of Venus. The thousands of examples of graffiti found on the town’s walls are unequivocal proof of what the people of Pompeii thought about love and sex.